CBC is rolling out a slate of new original movies and specials to celebrate the holiday season. Offerings include the return of Newfoundland’s most dysfunctional family as the Hatching, Matching and Dispatching saga continues in new holiday movie A Christmas Fury (Dec. 3), starring Mary Walsh; animated special The Great Northern Candy Drop (Dec. 17), starring Lorne Cardinal and Tantoo Cardinal in the true story of Inuk bush pilot Johnny May; and two-hour Murdoch Mysteries special Home For The Holidays (Dec. 18). CBC will ring in the new year with a fresh lineup of comedy specials including Air Farce New Year’s Eve 2017 and Ron James: The High Road, followed by a cross-Canada musical celebration hosted by Rick Mercer, Canada’s New Year’s Eve. On Jan. 3, CBC exclusively broadcasts the star-studded Leonard Cohen tribute concert that took place at Montreal’s Bell Centre this fall.
Michael Buble will host the 2018 Juno Awards on Mar. 25. The awards show will be broadcast live on CBC TV and radio, as well as cbcmusic.ca.
Bell Media Studios and Exploration Production Inc. (EPI) have begun production on new original Canadian series Disasters at Sea (working title). Commissioned by Discovery Canada, the docudrama is made possible iby international broadcast partners Smithsonian Channel (U.S.) and Seven Network (Australia). The six-episode series recreates some of the bigger marine disasters in recent history.
World TV Day was celebrated on Nov. 21. Media Technology Monitor says 95 per cent of Canadians are still watching the tube each month, but the numbers show the way they are watching has changed. 59 per cent are now watching some of their content online, 49 per cent have their television connected to the internet and 57 per cent are binge-watching or consuming three or more episodes of a single show in one sitting.
CHCH-TV Hamilton, which in a North American first had acquired multiple seasons of House of Cards from Netflix for rebroadcast, has removed the series from its line-up. The move comes in the wake of sexual misconduct allegations against one of the show’s leads, Kevin Spacey.
Nelvana is set to start production on new original, animated adventure series D.N.Ace. Targeting kids age six to nine, the show follows 12-year-old Ace Ripley as he learns he has the ability to manipulate DNA by fusing the genes of living things to create ridiculous creatures. Created by Matt Wexler, who also executive produces, D.N.Ace will air on Teletoon in Canada.
CP24 and 104.5 CHUM FM Toronto have launched the 51st annual CP24 CHUM Christmas Wish campaign. Kicked off with a $25,000 donation from the RBC Foundation, the drive will collect financial donations and new, unwrapped toys until Dec. 23. Donations are channeled toward providing a holiday experience for children and families in need.
TVO original documentary A Better Man will make its world broadcast premiere on Nov. 25, the United Nations International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. A Better Man is the story of how filmmaker Attiya Khan, a survivor of domestic abuse, confronts her past by inviting her abuser to discuss the violence. Produced in association with the National Film Board and Intervention Productions, the doc will be available to stream on tvo.org, starting Nov. 26.
Numeris data shows Sunday’s CFL Playoffs doubleheader were watched by 1.4 million Canadians on TSN and RDS. The CFL’s Eastern and Western Finals audience grew 19 per cent with total viewers on the two networks over last year, with almost six million Canadians watching some or all of the finals.
A Victoria judge has found a man accused of assaulting CTV Vancouver Island cameraman Kirk Duncan, guilty. The veteran cameraman was at a homeless camp on the grounds of the Victoria courthouse on May 27, 2016 when one of the tent-city residents grabbed his camera and according to Duncan’s testimony, punched and kicked him. The 55-year-old has yet to be sentenced.
Stingray has added Stingray Now 4K to its portfolio of 4K UHD specialty channels. Rogers is the first provider to introduce the all-4K UHD music video channel, available to customers with a 4K subscription and NextBox 4K set-top box.
